Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018)
Synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilization has helped boost agricultural yields, but it is also responsible for direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fertilizer-related emissions are also promoted by irrigation and manure application, which has increased with livestock industrialization. Spa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac17b7 |
| _version_ | 1797747525766086656 |
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| author | Eduardo Aguilera Alberto Sanz-Cobena Juan Infante-Amate Roberto García-Ruiz Jaime Vila-Traver Gloria I Guzmán Manuel González de Molina Alfredo Rodríguez Pablo Piñero Luis Lassaletta |
| author_facet | Eduardo Aguilera Alberto Sanz-Cobena Juan Infante-Amate Roberto García-Ruiz Jaime Vila-Traver Gloria I Guzmán Manuel González de Molina Alfredo Rodríguez Pablo Piñero Luis Lassaletta |
| author_sort | Eduardo Aguilera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilization has helped boost agricultural yields, but it is also responsible for direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fertilizer-related emissions are also promoted by irrigation and manure application, which has increased with livestock industrialization. Spanish agriculture provides a paradigmatic example of high industrialization under two different climates (temperate and Mediterranean) and two contrasting water management regimes (rainfed and irrigated). In this study, we estimated the historical evolution of the C footprint of N fertilization (including all the life cycle GHG emissions related to N fertilization) in Spanish agriculture from 1860 to 2018 at the province level (50 provinces) for 122 crops, using climate-specific N _2 O emission factors (EFs) adjusted to the type of water management and the N source (synthetic fertilizer, animal manure, crop residues and soil N mineralization) and considering changes in the industrial efficiency of N fertilizer production. Overall, N-related GHG emissions increased ∼12-fold, up to 10–14 Tg CO _2 e yr ^−1 in the 2010s, with much higher growth in Mediterranean than in temperate areas. Direct N _2 O EFs of N fertilizers doubled due to the expansion of irrigation, synthetic fertilizers and liquid manure, associated with livestock industrialization. Synthetic N production dominated the emissions balance (55%–60% of GHGe in the 21st century). Large energy efficiency gains of industrial fertilizer production were largely offset by the changes in the fertilizer mix. Downstream N _2 O emissions associated with NH _3 volatilization and NO _3 ^− leaching increased tenfold. The yield-scaled carbon footprint of N use in Spanish agriculture increased fourfold, from 4 and 5 Mg CO _2 e Mg N ^−1 to 16–18 Mg CO _2 e Mg N ^−1 . Therefore, the results reported herein indicate that increased productivity could not offset the growth in manufacture and soil emissions related to N use, suggesting that mitigation efforts should not only aim to increase N use efficiency but also consider water management, fertilizer type and fertilizer manufacture as key drivers of emissions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:52:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6599c294676d4a50a9192c4b8991ed57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:52:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-6599c294676d4a50a9192c4b8991ed572023-08-09T15:04:32ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262021-01-0116808501010.1088/1748-9326/ac17b7Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018)Eduardo Aguilera0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4382-124XAlberto Sanz-Cobena1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2119-5620Juan Infante-Amate2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-7181Roberto García-Ruiz3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9277-1993Jaime Vila-Traver4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1991-8802Gloria I Guzmán5Manuel González de Molina6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0253-6971Alfredo Rodríguez7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7987-1623Pablo Piñero8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1027-944XLuis Lassaletta9https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9428-2149CEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , 28040 Madrid, SpainCEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Economic Theory and History, University of Granada. Campus de la Cartuja , s/n 18071 Granada, SpainUniversity of Jaén, Center for advanced studies in olive groves and olive oils. Campus Las Lagunillas s/n , 23009 Jaén, SpainAgroecosystem History Lab, Pablo de Olavide University , Carretera de Utrera Km1, 41013 Seville, SpainAgroecosystem History Lab, Pablo de Olavide University , Carretera de Utrera Km1, 41013 Seville, SpainAgroecosystem History Lab, Pablo de Olavide University , Carretera de Utrera Km1, 41013 Seville, SpainCEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , 28040 Madrid, Spain; Department of Economic Analysis and Finances, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha , 45071 Toledo, SpainCEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , 28040 Madrid, SpainCEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , 28040 Madrid, SpainSynthetic nitrogen (N) fertilization has helped boost agricultural yields, but it is also responsible for direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fertilizer-related emissions are also promoted by irrigation and manure application, which has increased with livestock industrialization. Spanish agriculture provides a paradigmatic example of high industrialization under two different climates (temperate and Mediterranean) and two contrasting water management regimes (rainfed and irrigated). In this study, we estimated the historical evolution of the C footprint of N fertilization (including all the life cycle GHG emissions related to N fertilization) in Spanish agriculture from 1860 to 2018 at the province level (50 provinces) for 122 crops, using climate-specific N _2 O emission factors (EFs) adjusted to the type of water management and the N source (synthetic fertilizer, animal manure, crop residues and soil N mineralization) and considering changes in the industrial efficiency of N fertilizer production. Overall, N-related GHG emissions increased ∼12-fold, up to 10–14 Tg CO _2 e yr ^−1 in the 2010s, with much higher growth in Mediterranean than in temperate areas. Direct N _2 O EFs of N fertilizers doubled due to the expansion of irrigation, synthetic fertilizers and liquid manure, associated with livestock industrialization. Synthetic N production dominated the emissions balance (55%–60% of GHGe in the 21st century). Large energy efficiency gains of industrial fertilizer production were largely offset by the changes in the fertilizer mix. Downstream N _2 O emissions associated with NH _3 volatilization and NO _3 ^− leaching increased tenfold. The yield-scaled carbon footprint of N use in Spanish agriculture increased fourfold, from 4 and 5 Mg CO _2 e Mg N ^−1 to 16–18 Mg CO _2 e Mg N ^−1 . Therefore, the results reported herein indicate that increased productivity could not offset the growth in manufacture and soil emissions related to N use, suggesting that mitigation efforts should not only aim to increase N use efficiency but also consider water management, fertilizer type and fertilizer manufacture as key drivers of emissions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac17b7greenhouse gas emissionsnitrous oxideenvironmental historyMediterranean climatenitrogen |
| spellingShingle | Eduardo Aguilera Alberto Sanz-Cobena Juan Infante-Amate Roberto García-Ruiz Jaime Vila-Traver Gloria I Guzmán Manuel González de Molina Alfredo Rodríguez Pablo Piñero Luis Lassaletta Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) Environmental Research Letters greenhouse gas emissions nitrous oxide environmental history Mediterranean climate nitrogen |
| title | Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) |
| title_full | Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) |
| title_fullStr | Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) |
| title_short | Long-term trajectories of the C footprint of N fertilization in Mediterranean agriculture (Spain, 1860–2018) |
| title_sort | long term trajectories of the c footprint of n fertilization in mediterranean agriculture spain 1860 2018 |
| topic | greenhouse gas emissions nitrous oxide environmental history Mediterranean climate nitrogen |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac17b7 |
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